2/26/12

It's been a tough week. Not like a week when I'm a little tired and that but a really hard one. I've had 3 exams and then I had to finally start studying for a huge & important exam I have tomorrow. My head is pounding and I think I might pass out from all this stress.. I could only read a few chapters in the weekend after I could no longer study. Anyway, I'm not here to complain so I'd better not do that! Look what great stuff I've got during these past weeks:

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen - Well, I have not heard so many things about this book but I like good deals in BD & needed some contemporary.. so let's see about this one.

Matched by Allie Condie (Hebrew)- I've already had this one in English but the Israeli publisher sent me a Hebrew edition- I'm so glad they chose to keep the gorgeous cover!

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson- It's a good thing I've not completed my IMM post until it came in the mail today. I totally forgot ordering this one & it was like a miracle that it came when I was so upset about my exam and its results. Looks good, doesn't it?

Cathedral of The Sea by Ildefonso Falcones (Hebrew)- I was dying to read this book, though my literature's teacher kind of gave the whole plot away.. Love history's books, I'm looking forward reading this book!

Let's hope this week is going to be a lot better(:
Thank you for stopping by,

2/22/12

The only reason I've got to read Jane Eyre is my friend. Once upon a time, we were like books-pals. I introduced her to Harry Potter, she convinced me to read The Princess' Diaries. The Host is a book we cannot stop talking about a few years later. It hurt both of us when she stopped reading. She has read a couple of books since then.. but it's not the same.

The thing is, like I've said already, she is the reason I was heading out of the library with Jane Eyre. She just shoved it to my hands, saying I must read this one, this book is awesome. I had to believe her, she is someone I can trust with all my instincts (well, at least when it comes to books) so I tried this one.

***

I have to state; Classic books are slow. That's why it took me over hundred pages to like this book. For the first chapters, I could feel this book's potential but it wasn't executed. I kept reading and waiting.. I'm glad to say it was worth it.

Jane is my favorite part of the story. While I was bored for the few first chapters, Jane was the light in the darkness. I loved how honest she was, her stubbornness, her courage and especially her will to believe there is something better out there, her belief that someday she'll go to her own adventures.

My feeling for Mr. Rochester were ranged between love and hatred. On the one hand, he was the guy you'd love to see confessing his love. On the other hand, he was so cold and it really annoyed me to see how he treated everyone, how he got amused by their accounts.

Brontë did amazing job describing her characters, the places and the lifestyle of those days. It might be difficult for us to get used to the things people used to do then, but I liked the "past" feeling. The writing indeed took us to another place in another time.

I wish some parts were shorted and some others were longer. However, I really enjoyed this one. This is definitely a book worth reading for everyone. I think I'm going to read some classic books soon!

2/20/12

In the first page of Glory, we enter into a world full of different creatures and extraordinary communities along with the some unusual companions..

Glory is a teenager girl, unaware to the hidden world, who gets into a difficult situation without realizing. Soon, she finds herself trying to save too many people. She has to take this journey, along with some unfamiliar people, in order to do that. The book is actually a race, while their main obstacle is time. This time is running out as they are trying to save humanity.

I like the fact that we don't get any illusions, I appreciate that the author didn't waste any time; she quickly introduced us to a unique world, where some different creatures live in. The book includes a variety of characters, each represents a whole world. You get to know a lot of them, their personality and their lives in the magical world, which give the story a better aspect.

Glory is a girl I liked to admire, even if sometimes she is whining too much. Her world shatters down around her and she still seems to go get her goals. She doesn't try to be a brave, she knows she has to. She is a leader, caring and emotional. It is well seen in her relationship with her dog, as they take care of each other for the whole book. Although she expresses a lot of emotions toward her parents, I felt like her past was a lot more blurry than it was supposed to be. It'd have been great if we could have heard about her friends, her school and her memories.

With so many characters, came a lot of issues needed to be discussed. Since it's not possible to skip them, it makes a situation where the book contains all of them- it simply can't, so problems don't get the full development they need. While I believe the author dealt well with most of them, I would rather have seen less of them. In addition, the book was more about talking than acting. Reading a conversation, I wished I could know how they're acting, how they look like, what their faces were saying. Glory is surely the one to express feeling, but the other characters' body language should be saying a lot, too.

Feeling the danger and the pain around, I got to drive with Glory and the guys to save humanity from humanity. Dealing a lot of obstacles, Glory tries to stay in focus, fulfill her mission and to figure out what love actually is.

I really enjoyed the book and I'd love to read more of the author's works in the future. Glory's adventures are not over yet and I hope I'll get to travel with her one more time!

2/9/12

All of us probably have these books we promised ourselves we'd read next week, next month, next year. We, or at least me, usually don't read all of them eventually. I try to, I want to, but in the meantime, other books catch my attention and get higher in my wishlist. I'm sorry to admit The Soul Screamers series was treated by me like that. I was fascinated by these books, but never found the chance to actually read them. Then, I ran into The Soul Screamers challenge and everything has changed.

I decided to review My Soul To Lose (The Soul Screamers, #0.5) only after I've read My Soul To Take simply because this novella doesn't stand for itself. I really enjoyed the first chapters, but in the middle of it, I've felt lost. I ended up after reading this book being confused. Really confused.

However, starting to read My Soul To Take, I really appreciate the fact that I've read the novella first. Though it wasn't the best story, it influences reading the first book in the series. While reading the first book later, I was familiar with the setting, the family and the friends. Moreover, I knew the narrator, Kaylee's personality and her story. It helped me focus only in the story itself.

If I had to rate My Soul To Lose right after I finished reading it, I'd give it 3 stars. Now, through it's not gotten to 5 stars, I'm going to give it 4. I think it's a great idea to include this novella in the first volume!

My Soul To Take has an excellent beginning. If you know me, you should know that book's beginning affects a lot my reading's experience. Some of my favorites books are there especially because I think their first chapter is awesome. Anyway, the series' first chapters aren't too slow or quickly. We get a few pages to get used to the story and the characters, and then the action begins. And there's a lot of it!

Kaylee's a great character. She is brave, but not of the kind that throws herself into troubles without thinking. She is caring, but not without a reason. Kaylee is the girl who wouldn't let people hurt and works hard to do that. She is independent and storng. I couldn't not like her. Honestly, she wasn't my favorite person in the novella but she made up for that in the first book!

Actually, I can state some things I found in this book that I've got tired of reading about them, that I dislike every time. Like the fact that the whole plot is under five days (or some small number), the fact that Kaylee is never tired, that some things are solved too quickly, and of course the whole Kaylee's ability's resolution. Maybe I should do it, becuase it's a review, but I don't feel like doing it. The truth is that I've got annoyed by any of these things but I don't find them important.

This book was one of the best paranormal books I've read. Yes, it seems like a stractured paranormal book, but I don't know how I can tell you it is definitely not a usual one. This one woke me with excitement for reading what's next and even made me laugh a couple of times.

I didn't mention the writing yet, which is a shame, since it is so good! I could feel Kaylee's emotions and understand her choices. Kaylee is dealing with tough issues and it'd be hard to get related to her unless the writing helped me that much. I think the descriptions were helpful so I could see everything in my mind.

My Soul To Take is a book with realiable characters, amazing writing and a story worth reading. If you've not read it yet, do not wait any longer.

2/4/12

IMM is a feature, hosted by Kristi from the Siren Story, to help bloggers share the books they receive!

I know, I've not posted in a while. Actually, no post since the previous IMM post, which is really bad thing. Well, I will try to make that better! Hopefully, I'm going to read and to write in the next weeks. School and exams are trying to defeat me but I'll have to overcome them.

Anyway, I got some pretty good stuffs this week. First, I borrow these two from the School's library.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Both are in Hebrew, as you can see. You can notice the bookmarks, too. My mom is reading The Book Thief and I'm reading Jane Eyre, which has been in my to-read list forever, but only when my friend shoved it to my hands and said: "You have to read it.", I did it. Well, I didn't have a choice! So far, I'm enjoying the book, but waiting for more. Mom is saying The Book Thief is good.

Two more books arrived in the mail. I wasn't expecting neither.

The first is a original Israeli fantasy book which I'm dying to read though I heard some negative reviews along with the positive ones. I'm very excited to see all the original fantasy books in Israel!

Actually, I knew it should arrive, but in 2 days? Wow, that was a surprise.

The other one you probably all know as "A Wrinkle in Time". For the celebration of 50 years, a renewed edition is coming out in Israel too. Guess what? I've received the early edition!

Both the books are for review, so I guess I'm going to have something to post in my Hebrew blog too.